Naruto: Wolf Child
by AkatsukiShadow
Summary: Two months after the sealing of Kyuubi, three men kidnap Naruto and leave him for dead in the middle of a forest. What they didn't know was that the forest was the territory of a pack of wolves, in which the Alpha female adopts Naruto as her own. AU
1. Chapter 1: Son of a Wolf, Container of a

AkasukiShadow: Hey, AkatsukiShadow here with a new story! I just thought of the idea last night, and decided to post it. So, here's the first chapter of _Naruto: Wolf Child! _Hope it's not complete trash and actually decent! I don't think this has ever been done before...

Warnings: Major AU, violence in later chapter and maybe some swearing. Rated T for safety only.  
Summary: Two months after the Kyuubi was sealed, three 'Kyuubi haters' kidnapped Naruto and left him for dead deep within a forest at the edge of Fire Country. Little did they know that they were being watched. They had left the jinchuriki in the territory of a large pack of wolves, but not ordinary wolves; wolves that had demon blood running through their veins, making them smarter, stronger, and larger than normal wolves. A female of the pack had seen the three men abandon Naruto, and the alpha female of that wolf's pack adopted Naruto as her own. Watch as Naruto fights to survive among his adopted family in the wild, hunting, sleeping, and living among the wolves as a Wild Child.

Disclaimer: Naruto does not belong to me, only the plot does. Naruto belongs to Kishimoto-sama. Only the wolves belong to me.

"Demon!" - Human speak  
'Brat...' - Human thought  
_"What in the name of Gobi-sama is that?!"_ - Wolf speak (Barks, growls, ect.)  
_'Interesting pup...'_ - Wolf thought  
**"Wolves?"** - Demon speak  
**'I hate my life...'** - Demon thought

First chapter start!  
--

Chapter 1: Son of a Wolf, Container of a Fox

Three Konoha jounin leapt through the trees of the Fire country, the one in the lead carrying a whimpering boy only two months old. The boy was Uzumaki Naruto, jinchuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune, and though he didn't know it, his life was about to change dramatically.

The three jounin were survivors from the Kyuubi attack who had lost their families to the fox, and one had lost their arm. They had decided soon after they found out that the Kyuubi wasn't dead to get rid of the container as soon as they could. They had successfully kidnapped him together earlier that night and were searching for a place to leave him where no one else would find the baby; they were hoping that the demon would die in the wilderness. It was perfect; even if they couldn't go back to Konoha they would be hailed as heroes by the general populace of their ex-village. "Here's a place. Let's leave the demon here and go to Suna." The ninja in the lead said, jumping to the ground from the trees, his companions following. The ninja holding Naruto roughly dropped him on the ground, causing the baby to wake up and whimper in slight pain as it landed on a pile of fallen leaves. The three ninja sneered at the whimpering baby- 'demon' in their minds- and leapt back into the trees, leaving the baby alone in the middle of the forest.

A large wolf watched the humans through wary eyes, curios to what they were doing; the humans usually didn't come around her pack's territory, which is why they had chosen this forest as their territory. _'Fools. Don't they know that their pup will die alone in this forest?'_ the wolf thought to herself, holding back a growl as the three adult humans left the newborn human-pup in the forest alone, leaving at speeds as fast as she could run. Her ears perked as the human pup whimpered in slight fear of being alone, rolling over onto its stomach. Curiosity overcame the wolf and she crept towards the baby, eyes not leaving the small form. She stepped out of the trees in front of the human pup, and amber eyes met blue. The wolf lowered herself to the ground and crawled towards the baby, touching the human's face with her large muzzle, taking a couple sniffs. His scent gave her quite a bit of information. He was male, and defiantly young, probably not even weaned yet, just like her alpha's pups. It was painfully obvious to the wolf that the pup's pack members had abandoned him, which caused anger to fill her mind; she didn't like those who abandoned their fellow pack members. There was also an underlying scent of fox on the boy, coming from him. _'Interesting…'_ she thought. Her alpha would be interested, and the young female wolf felt a kind of maternal instinct well inside her as she studied the giggling child. He wasn't afraid of her, which was another surprise; most humans would have run away or at least been scared of the large wolf.

Part of the reason was that she, like her pack mates, were much larger than normal. They could grow to the point where their shoulders would reach the shoulders of an adult human. They were also smarter than other wolves. They had yokai within them, though they couldn't control it. They were extremely intelligent, and could live longer than many humans could. The reason for all of this was simple; they had demon blood running through their veins. They were descendants of the Gobi no Hokou, the five tailed wolf demon and lord of wolves. Sure, there had been many generations between the time when their forefather and foremother had mated, but they still had some of the demonic qualities that showed up; with great intelligence, size, and long life spans being some of them. Because of their long life spans, they matured slower than normal wolves. They took fifteen years for them to fully mature and grow physically. They relied on both their great intelligence and their wolf instincts to survive, and every so often a pup would be born with the ability to use and control their yokai, though defiantly not as well as a full demon, or even a half-demon.

A wolf-grin found its way onto the wolf's face as the boy smiled and laughed at the tickling sensation brought by the whiskered muzzle. The wolf had made her decision; she was going to take the human pup to her pack. The boy made a gurgling sound as she carefully grabbed onto the back of the odd orange outer-pelt that humans wore with her teeth and lifted him up. She quickly ran through the trees, ignoring the whimpers of the human pup in her jaws, barely a grey blur as she ran towards the pack's main den area.

--

_"Light Heart, your back. And with a… human pup?" _the amused voice of her alpha reached the ears of the wolf carrying Naruto as she entered the clearing the pack lived in. It was a simple clearing; grassy and a bit hilly, surrounded by three sides with forest and one side with a river, with dens dug out between trees and in the hills. The newly dubbed Light Heart approached her alpha slowly, dropping the gold-furred human pup in front of him and whimpered, rolling over to show her throat and other vital areas. The large black wolf that was her pack's alpha looked down with amused golden eyes at the smaller light grey wolf. _"Pray tell how you got your jaws on a human pup." _The alpha male barked, looking at the human child, who stared back with a curious and amazed expression, but not fearful. That was understandable, though; he was probably too young to understand how dangerous they could be. _"He was abandoned, alpha Shadow Runner, by three adult male humans who I am assuming where his pack mates. From their scents I don't think they were related by blood." _Light Heart whimpered, causing the alpha male to snort. _"Just when I thought that humans couldn't get worse… first pointless killing then abandoning defenseless pups in the middle of a forest? What next?" _The alpha grumbled to himself, lowering his large head to the pup's eye level.

_"Shadow, what's going on out here? I smell human." _A female voice sounded from inside one of the dens as another female wolf crawled out of the entrance of the den, her fur a mixture of light grey and snow white, her eyes a bright blue color. Complaining yips followed her, coming from her pups inside the den. Her eyes widened at the sight of the human child. _"Light Heart found a human pup in the middle of our territory." _Shadow Runner replied to his mate. _"Alpha Moon Light." _Light Heart whimpered in respect to her elder with a bow of her head. Moon Light trotted to Naruto's side, bringing the child's attention from the butterfly sitting on the flower in front of him to her. He made a cooing sound, reaching up towards the female wolf. Something tugged at the Alpha Female's heart as she was reminded of Runt, her deceased son who had been the runt of her litter. Their eyes were the exact same color, both with the underlying mischievousness that would most likely grow to be part of their adult personalities. _"We could raise him to be one of us."_ Moon Light said, causing the eyes of Shadow Runner and Light Heart to widen in barely concealed shock.

_"You sure? Who would adopt him, though?" _Shadow Runner asked Moon Light, staring at his mate. _"I will, of course. I'm the only wolf that currently has pups in the pack, and there is plenty of room in the litter for another."_ Moon Light exclaimed. _"If you say so, Moon." _Shadow Runner sighed in defeat. Once his mate got an idea into her head, nothing could stop her from bringing the idea into reality. It was one of the reasons he loved her. Both females yipped in joy at their alpha's decision, wolf grins spreading onto their muzzles. Moon Light looked at her new pup as the boy yawned widely, eyes closing. _"Aw, he's tired. I'll take him into the den and introduce him to his new brothers and sisters so he can sleep."_ Moon Light said, carefully lifting the child by the outer-pelt he was wearing like all humans did. She crawled back into the den, mouth full of giggling human pup; literally. _'Things defiantly won't be boring around here anymore.' _Shadow Runner thought, watching as Light Heart happily bounded through the grass. Shadow Runner raised his head into the air and let loose a long howl, ears perking as the howls of his pack answered him. He needed to explain everything to his pack as soon as he could, or else it wouldn't be pretty when they discovered the human pup. Troublesome.

--

Kyuubi growled from within the seal; his container had been abandoned by his own kind to live in the wild and raised by wolves! Well, at least he was being raised by a predator like himself instead of a deer or something like that. He had been studying the seal for the entire two months he had been trapped inside here, and he hadn't found anything that was good for him yet. **"Wait… this is something I didn't see before! Well, child, here's a gift from me to you to help you survive among these… wolves…" **Kyuubi growled with a wide grin on his face as he sent as much chakra through the seal as he could without either killing his host or hurting himself, using it to alter his container's very DNA makeup.

Outside the seal, Naruto was curled up among his new siblings against his adoptive mother's side, sound asleep. Moon Light licked the top of his head lightly a few times before moving on to her other pups, only to recoil in slight shock as a red mist surrounded her adopted pup, who whimpered in his sleep, a look of slight pain on his face. She watched in shocked awe as small claws replaced dull, human nails, the odd whisker-like markings on his cheeks darkened slightly, and his golden-blonde 'head-fur' became wilder. His ears pointed at the tip, almost like the elves of myth, and small canines sprouted from his gums as the red mist disappeared. A slight grin covered her muzzle once more as he curled up into a more comfortable position; he was defiantly going to fit in with the pack, and he was very intriguing. _"Goodnight, little pups._" Moon Light lightly whined at her litter, curling up around them to fall asleep as well. Her last thoughts were about what name to gift her new pup with; she would talk about it with Shadow Runner in the morning, as well as about the odd red mist. Right now she needed to sleep.

--

So, how is it? Reviews and constructive criticism loved!

Polls:  
1) Should the Akatsuki be evil in this fic, or just misguided and later good?  
2) Who should replace Naruto in team 7?  
3) What pairings, if any, should I have? Note: Pairings are not a major part of the story.


	2. Chapter 2: Meeting A Human

AkatsukiShadow: AkatsukiShadow here with the second chapter of _Naruto: Wolf Child. _Naruto is going to be a bit OOC in this story.

Warnings: T for safety and a bit of voilence in later chapters.

Disclaimer: Kishimoto-sama owns Naruto, not me. Only the plot of this fanfiction and the wolves belong to me.

"Demon!" - Human speak  
'Brat...' - Human thought  
_"What in the name of Gobi-sama is that?!"_ - Wolf speak (Barks, growls, ect.)  
_'Interesting pup...'_ - Wolf thought  
**"Wolves?"** - Demon speak  
**'I hate my life...'** - Demon thought

Second chapter start!

--

Chapter 2: Meeting A Human

Seven year old Uzumaki Naruto yawned, opening his bright blue eyes and shaking his head to clear his mind. He wasn't known as 'Naruto' any more, though; his name in the pack was Spirit Dreamer, because of the fox spirit that would visit him in his dreams. Neither he nor his pack knew that the fox was actually sealed inside him; they just thought that it was a spirit that invaded his dreams. Spirit Dreamer carefully removed himself from the pile of sleeping bodies that were his brothers and sisters, noting that his mom was gone; most likely to help with the hunting that day. He carefully crawled up the slope leading from the large dug-out den area to the exit hole and crawled out into the morning light, blinking a few times to adjust his eyes to the light. He grinned, showing his long, pointed canines that were just as dangerous as the teeth of any wolf pup his age. Though he didn't know it, the fangs in his mouth and the claws on his hands and feet were gifts from the fox in his mind- 'Kyuubi', if he remembered correctly- to help him survive in the wild.

Naruto 'Spirit Dreamer' had changed a lot from the helpless young pup that Light Heart, who he affectionately called 'Auntie', found in the middle of the forest. He was a strong young pup with claws and fangs that would develop to be as powerful as any of the wolves' in the pack, and was extremely smart by wolf standards. He had learned how to speak in the wolf language by the time he was two summers old, as well as how to use his powerful senses; another gift from the Kyuubi had been the senses of hearing and smell that canines were known for, as well as an extremely good sense of sight, and a few adjustments to his vocal cords and voice box to allow him to create the barks, growls, grunts and snarls that wolves, and foxes, used to speak. His 'fur' was still a golden color, and spiked up in all directions, growing down to past his shoulders. The whisker marks on his cheeks had darkened, and his eyes had changed. While they had once been normal human eyes, over the years they had changed to an odd mix of wolf and fox; the pupils were slit like those of a fox, and they had taken on the general shape of a wolf's, though they were somewhat still human in appearance. His skin had toughened from the rough play between him, his siblings, and his parents, and had taken on a light tan color. He walked on two legs as easily as all fours, but he preferred using all fours. He also went around naked; in his mind, he was a wolf. He didn't need anything to wear; when it was cold at night, he simply curled up against his mother and siblings for warmth.

_"Hey dad!"_ Spirit Dreamer yipped, bounding through the grass to Shadow Runner's side; as his mother's mate, Shadow Runner had become his father. _"Good morning Spirit. Where are your brothers and sisters?" _Shadow Runner asked his adopted son. _"They were still asleep when I woke up, dad. Are mom and Sharp Fang around?" _Spirit Dreamer asked, shaking a few stray clumps of hair from his face. _"Moon Light is with the hunting party, and Sharp Fang is sleeping near the river, behind that tree over there." _Shadow Runner replied, nodding his head towards a tree near the river. Once Spirit Dreamer and his siblings had reached five summers(1) of age, their parents had seen it fit to give them mentors from the pack. Since there were six pups, they were split into three groups of two and each group was given a single mentor. They would teach them proper ways to hunt and survive when Shadow Runner and Moon Light weren't able to; they were the alphas, and sometimes there were too many things to deal with in the pack to properly teach their pups everything.

Sharp Fang was a hunter before he lost the eye in a fight against a rather powerful deer during a cold winter ten years before. He was also getting older; his dark grey fur was fading to white, and his single remaining brown eye had dulled a bit over the year. He was the mentor of Spirit Dreamer and his brother, a lean black wolf pup by the name of Tree Climber; Tree Climber had been named that because of his skill at climbing. Eagle Eye, a wolf with fur a mixture of different grays and golden eyes was the mentor of Spirit Dreamer's other brother and one of his sisters, Scar and Flower. Scar was a young white pup; the coloring was rare in the pack. He had amber eyes, and a scar that he gained from a wild cat the year before ran across the right side of his chest. Flower was a light grey female pup with deep blue eyes. She was given the name Flower because of her love of the different flowers in the forest. Lastly, a rust-colored wolf by the name of Blazing Fire was the mentor of Spirit Dreamer's other two sisters, Ice Eye and Swimmer. Ice Eye was a small wolf, though she was extremely quick. Her fur was dark grey, and she never spoke unless it was important. Her eyes were a stunning light blue and ice cold at first glance. Swimmer was her opposite; she was hyper and friendly, even making friends with a family of foxes that lived in the territory. She loved water and to swim, which was how she gained her name. Her fur was a mixture of black, grey, and white, and her eyes were amber color.

Spirit Dreamer licked his father's muzzle in thanks before speeding towards where Shadow Runner said Sharp Fang was. He slowed to a stop once he was a few yards away and crept as silently as he could towards the tree, peeking around the trunk once he was close enough. Sure enough, there was Sharp Fang, sleeping peacefully. Well, not for long. Spirit Dreamer grinned and crouched down, muscles tense. He let loose a howl as he pounced, landing on Sharp Fang. Sharp Fang's eyes snapped open and he yelped, leaping upwards and whipping around to face his student. _"Spirit Dreamer! I was trying to sleep!"_ He exclaimed, shooting a glare at the pup. _"But Sharp Fang! I'm bored! Everyone's either on border patrol or hunting and my brothers and sisters are asleep!" _Spirit Dreamer whimpered with a pout. Sharp Fang sighed, rolling his eyes.

_"Why don't you go annoy Alpha Shadow Runner or Gatherer?" _Sharp Fang asked his student, lying back down. Spirit Dreamer sat down beside him, looking out over the river. _"Because Gatherer is out gathering things for Poppy, and I don't feel like bothering Dad today." _Spirit Dreamer replied with a grin. Gatherer was the pack's equivalent of a medic, and Poppy was a female wolf who had injured herself during the last hunt. Gatherer was a large male wolf with silver-grey fur and a single golden-brown eye; his right eye was clouded with cataracts, showing his blindness in that eye. Poppy was a female wolf who usually went hunting with the others. She had light grey fur with specks of black and brown eyes. _"Well, what about Light Heart?" _Sharp Fang asked, glancing towards his student. _"Auntie is patrolling the border." _Spirit Dreamer replied. Sharp Fang yawned before speaking again. _"You could wake up your siblings."_ He offered, only to be cut off by another young voice.

_"No need for Spirit to do that! I'm already up!"_ came Tree Climber's voice as the young wolf came bounding towards them, a grin on his muzzle. Spirit Dreamer's siblings were only seven summers old, so they weren't quite half the size of an adult; they still had a lot of growing to do. Tree Climber was average size, his shoulder coming up to just below Spirit Dreamer's when he was on two legs. Sharp Fang mentally groaned; it was too early for this. The sun had just risen about an hour before. _"Spirit, I found an awesome place in the forest yesterday! Want to go with me to go there today?" _Tree Climber asked his brother excitedly, ears perked hopefully. Naruto grinned and nodded enthusiastically in reply. _"Yeah, I'll go! Where is it?"_ Naruto asked his brother, who simply gave him an 'I'll show you' look. _"Pray tell what this oh so interesting place is?"_ Sharp Fang asked Tree Climber, who blinked a few times before speaking. _"It's near… the big rock! The big rock next to the pond!"_ Tree Climber exclaimed, causing his brother to roll his eyes. _"Big rock next to the pond? What's so interesting about there?_" Spirit Dreamer asked his brother in disbelief. Tree Climber put his muzzle next to his brother's ear before whispering _"I'll show you when we get there", _careful to not let their mentor hear them. Sharp Fang sighed at the two, who were sending them pleading looks. _"Fine. Tell your father first, though." _Sharp Fang said in defeat.

Spirit Dreamer and Tree Climber howled in glee as Spirit Dreamer jumped up and the two pups ran to their father, who was currently laying next to the den, their other siblings playing with each other beside him. _"Dad! Dad! Can Tree Climber and I go to the pond?"_ Spirit Dreamer asked. _"Please, Dad?" _Tree Climber added, sending Shadow Runner the puppy-eye look. Shadow Runner sighed at his two sons as his other pups stopped playing to watch what was going on between their brothers and father. _"Fine, pups. Just be back by the time the sun is at its high point in the sky." _Shadow Runner said after a few moments of pondering it. After all, what could it hurt? _"Thanks dad! See you later!"_ Spirit Dreamer yipped as he and Tree Climber turned and headed into the trees. The two tore through the trees until they reached the pond, where they stopped to catch their breath. _"So, what's interesting around here anyway?" _Spirit Dreamer asked Tree Climber. _"It's not really here. Follow me! It's in the direction we were going! There are a bunch of strange scents around that area; it's exciting!" _Tree Climber replied with a wolf-grin, running back into the forest with Spirit Dreamer right behind him.

It didn't take long for the two to reach the area that Tree Climber had been speaking about. It was a small clearing with a stream near the opposite side. A couple of fallen trees were within it, but that wasn't what was interesting. It was the smell of something burning… ash and wood! Surrounded by round rocks was a charred area, what humans would call a fire pit, with burnt wood and ash within it. There was also a strange triangular object… it was dark grey and green, held up by silver sticks(2). It also smelt weird, like nothing either of the two brothers had ever smelt before. _"Wow… Awesome!" _Spirit Dreamer gaped, creeping towards the object. Tree Climber crept along beside his human brother, ears perked. One could swear that Spirit Dreamer's slightly pointed ears also perked in anticipation.

"What do we have here?" Came a surprised voice, though neither Spirit Dreamer or Tree Climber could understand it. Both brothers whipped around in surprise; they hadn't heard or smelt him. There, standing behind them, was a tall human with wild silver hair and a single black eye. He was wearing the outer-pelt that most humans wore, including one covering half his face! A black band covered his left eye, with a strange shiny plate attached to it. A leaf was carved into it. The man was also holding a shiny object that neither Spirit Dreamer nor Tree Climber could identify. Both brother whimpered, backing up from the strange creature. It reminded them both of Spirit Dreamer, but it was obviously much different. They carefully studied the human, not knowing what to do. Fight or flight? Fight of flight? They couldn't decide. Spirit Dreamer bared his teeth defensively, trying to hide his slight fear. "N-naruto!"

-Human point of view-

Hatake Kakashi studied the wild boy and wolf before him, a kunai knife held before him in a defensive position. The human child couldn't be older than seven, and was completely naked. He was also a bit dirty, with dirt smearing some parts of his body. Dangerous looking claws replaced human finger nails, and fangs replaced normal human teeth; he could see them because of the animalistic snarl on the boy's face. His eyes were feral, though had a spark of intelligence in them. His eyes widened in recognition as he took in the feral child's golden blonde hair and bright blue eyes, as well as the whisker marks on his cheeks. Only two people he knew had those hair and eye colors; his teacher, Namikaze Minato, and his teacher's son, Uzumaki Naruto. The whisker marks on both cheeks told him that yes, this was defiantly Uzumaki Naruto, his sensei's son who had gone missing over six years before, only months after he had been born. "N-naruto!" He gaped, causing the boy and wolf to back up a few steps. He noted that Naruto walked on all fours, just like the wolf beside him. He carefully took a step forward, only for the wolf and child to take a step back. "It's okay, Naruto… I'm not going to hurt you…" Kakashi said softly, taking another step forward. The wolf and child suddenly whipped around and fled into the forest, letting out yips and howls.

"I have to tell Hokage-sama about this!" Kakashi said to himself, quickly sealing his tent into a scroll and covering any trace of him being there so he could leave. Kakashi had only been in this forest because it was quicker to go through it then around it to return to Konoha from Kiri, where he had assassinated an important business man for a mission. Well, at least he found out where Naruto had been all these years and that he was alive. The Hokage would defiantly want to know about this; in the two months Naruto had lived in Konoha, he had became something akin to a grandson for their elderly leader. Kakashi and Sarutobi had both been devastated when they found that he had gone missing and was presumed dead.

-end human point of view-

Spirit Dreamer and Tree Climber tore through the forest, eyes wide in shock and fear. There was a strange intruder in the pack's territory, and it could pose a threat to them and their family; they knew that, even as young as they were. The two didn't slow down until they were in the familiar clearing that they had lived their entire life in. _"Dad! Dad!" _both Spirit Dreamer and Tree Climber yelped, skidding to a stop beside their father, who had been speaking with Gatherer near Gatherer's den. Shadow Runner looked down at his two sons with an amused expression. _"Yes, pups?_" he asked the two, his amused expression immediately becoming serious when his sons answered him. _"Strange creature… in territory… two legs… odd second-fur… one eye…" _Tree Climber whimpered as Spirit Dreamer leaned against him. _'A human? But what would they want in our territory after so long? Could they be here for Spirit Dreamer? I won't let them!' _Shadow Runner thought, a determined look filling his eyes. He raised his head and let out an urgent howl, calling all wolves to return to the clearing, his ears perking up as his pack's howls answered him from different parts of their territory. He would take a few of his pack members to investigate, then they would act accordingly. Worst case scenario, the humans would be a threat to the pack and they moved somewhere else; best case scenario, it was a onetime thing and the pack could stay where they were without threat.

Only time would tell what course of action he would need to take.

--

Chapter end! So, how was it? Reviews and constructive criticism appreciated!

(1): Summers years. 1 summer1 year  
(2): A tent.

Polls:  
1) Should the Akatsuki be evil in this fic, or just misguided and later good?  
evil/1  
misguided/1  
Either/1

2) Who should replace Naruto in team 7?  
Sai/2  
Kiba/1

3) What pairings, if any, should I have? Note: Pairings are not a major part of the story.  
Itanaru/1  
Sasunaru/1  
NaruXoc/1  
NaruHina/3


	3. Chapter 3: Moving the Pack

AkatsukiShadow: Hey, AkatsukiShadow here with the latest chapter of _Naruto: Wolf Child_! Sorry it took so long to update, I've been busy and suffering from my first case of writers block. Joy oh joy. Hope you like it!

Disclaimer: AkatsukiShadow does not own Naruto, it belongs to Kishimoto-sama. I only own my wolf OCs and the plot.

Reviews:  
Redcrimsonblood: Thank you. :D I personally thought that Naruto being raised by wolves would be more unique than foxes since I've seen who knows how many fics about Kyuubi raising him, and Kyuubi is a fox... that and I absolutely love wolves of all kinds. D  
VampyreVixen16: I'm trying not to copy the Jungle book, but seeing as I haven't seen it since I was... what, 4 or something?... I can't be sure how similar they are.

Thank you everyone else for reviewing. I would answer more reviews but my grandma just woke up and I have to post this before she finds that I'm awake at one am...

Again, sorry for the wait! Writers block is a pain.

"Why us?" - Human speak  
'The old fool is insane!' - human thought  
_"What are 'humans'?" - Wolf speak  
'Foolish pup...' - Wolf Thought_  
**"Stupid creature!" - Demon Speak  
'I should kill them all!' - Demon thought**

Chapter start!

--

Chapter 3: Moving the Pack

It was chaos, pure and utter chaos. It had been a month since Spirit Dreamer and Tree Climber had run into the grey haired human, and most of the wolves had brushed it off as a onetime thing after half a month. Unfortunately for the pack, it wasn't. That morning, Poppy had caught a strange scent near the territory's border and told Shadow Runner about it. Shadow Runner and a few other wolves had gone to check it out, only to find nothing. The pack had been tense since then, but they didn't expect this.

A group of humans with strange white masks over their faces had invaded their clearing, surprising the wolves. The pack had immediately gone onto the offensive. They attacked almost as one, snarling and growling. The humans were invaders in their territory and potentially a danger for the pups, so they needed to be dealt with as soon as possible. Unfortunately, Shadow Runner and the others didn't know that these weren't normal humans, which could have been brought down within moments; especially at six against more than twenty-five. These were ANBU and ANBU Root, skilled ninja. It was understandable that the wolves were surprised when the humans had dodged their attacks and retaliated with the very elements of the earth itself, at least that was what it looked like for the wolves. The ANBU were actually only using a few minor jutsus to fend off the wolves. They weren't aiming to kill the animals, after all; only to keep themselves alive. Half the ANBU, the ANBU loyal to the Hokage, had been sent to find Naruto and hopefully try to take the feral boy back to Konoha. The Root ANBU, though, had been sent by Danzo to either kill Naruto or capture him to turn into a weapon. It had become quite obvious to the ANBU that they wouldn't get to the human child if the animals protecting him had anything to say to it. Those not in Root wanted to know why they were so large; they looked like creatures that would be at home in the forest of death. The Root ANBU only wanted to complete their mission.

Moon Light hurriedly herded her pups towards the safety of their den, worried for their safety in the attack. A group of five wolves were protecting her and the pups in case the humans decided to attack her. The pups were frantic; Spirit Dreamer and his siblings' eyes were wide, and they were pushing against each other in confusion and fear. They didn't know what was going on since they had never been in a serious fight before. Spirit Dreamer looked back at the strange white-faced figures only to see something that made his heart leap. _"Sharp Fang!" _Spirit Dreamer yelped, causing Tree Climber and Swimmer, who were both close to the old male, to whip around as well, ignoring their mother's barks to get in the den.

One of the ANBU had thrown a kunai knife and hit Sharp Fang in the shoulder, causing the old male to yelp and fall to the ground. A hunter by the name of Long Claw was standing over him, snarling at the ANBU. Naruto didn't know what happened next. Something in him had snapped; the two-legged animals had attacked his pack. They had injured his mentor. They had attacked and injured one of his family. They must pay. This was going through his mind as an unexplainable rage and fury overcame him. He ignored the fact that the voice of the fox he visited in dreams was yelling at him to calm down and think rationally at the back of his mind; he could ponder on that later. Everything seemed to stop. 

The ANBU felt an unexplainable fear overcome them before they were hit with the feeling of chakra they wished to never feel again; the chakra of the Kyuubi. The wolves were shocked as they looked around for the source of the energy, only to find their alphas' adopted son glaring hatefully at the humans, odd red flame-like energy spiraling around him. His normally blue eyes were the red of freshly spilt blood, and his golden 'fur' had taken on a reddish tint and become even wilder. The whisker marks on his cheeks had become thicker, giving him an even more feral look than before. His claws grew even longer, as did his canines. A strange symbol had appeared on his stomach, which the ANBU recognized as the Yondaime's seal.

Spirit Dreamer was in no doubt pissed at the humans before the pack. It was obvious to every wolf in the clearing. The ANBU also knew this. They suddenly felt as if it was a bad idea to agree to this mission. A very bad idea.

Spirit Dreamer lunged at the ANBU on all fours, snarling in fury, ignoring his pack mates' howls of _'Pup!_' and '_Spirit_!' and _'Stop!'_As Naruto ran, the red chakra took the form of some sort of canine, which looked almost like a fox, with a single crimson tail and two long, pointed ears. The ANBU managed to dodge his first assault, and a few of them let out a stream of curses. The wolves could only look on in awe; they all knew what it was, yokai. Many of them had been around to see it in action once before; Shadow Runner's father had been born with the ability to use it, and had died only a few years before Spirit Dreamer had been found. He had died while fighting against a giant three headed snake, and had used his yokai to kill it at the price of his own life. Those who didn't remember or weren't around then had heard many stories about it. They were surprised that Spirit Dreamer could use it, since he wasn't of demonic decent from their knowledge.

A Root member drew a katana and stabbed at Spirit Dreamer's back, only for the long sword to be parried by the feral child's chakra tail. Spirit Dreamer grunted and whipped the tail at the ANBU, catching him off guard that the child could actually control it and hitting him in the arm, forcing him to jump back. A couple of other ANBU jumped back to avoid the pissed off Jinchuriki's claws, and another had to dodge a bite from Spirit Dreamer. The ANBU could see very well that the boy would NOT leave peacefully, or most likely at all. Also, they were screwed if the boy allowed the Kyuubi to take over or drew out more power. Not even an ANBU team could hold off against a demon, especially a pissed off demon. Especially the Kyuubi, even if it was only at a fraction of its powers within a human body. The wolves had backed away, though they were still tense, ready to leap into the fray whenever needed. They didn't want to be between the humans and Shadow Runner's adopted son, who looked as if he would rip anyone between him and his prey apart.

"_**You hurt pack mate. You pay with death."**_Spirit Dreamer snarled, glaring heatedly at the ANBU. His voice had deepened, and even though they couldn't understand the canine language the ANBU team could tell that it was most likely a threat. A Root member made a set of hand seals and yelled out 'Katon: Gokakyuu no jutsu', lifting his mask slightly to send a great fireball towards Naruto. Naruto jumped up and spun, landing about ten feet to the side on all fours. He ran towards the ANBU, the yokai giving him an increase in speed, causing him to look like a crimson and gold blur to his opponents. One ANBU drew his katana and used it to parry Naruto's claws, drawing a thin line of blood. Naruto jumped back, the injury quickly healing with a hiss. Another Katon jutsu was sent towards Naruto, who dodged once again. Naruto snarled dangerously at the ANBU as a kunai grazed against his side, creating a shallow gash.

Shadow Runner leapt to his son's side, eyes flashing dangerously at the ANBU. He wouldn't stand by any longer; his pup was still young and didn't have any experience, no matter how powerful he was now. He made a split second decision that could probably prevent any other injuries to any of his pack members. _"Take the other pups and go. Head east towards the great waters, do not stop until you pass the human dwelling. Spirit and I will catch up to you as soon as we can. Now go._" Shadow Runner barked at his pack mates, who stared at him for a few moments before his beta male, a grey wolf with brown paws named Mud Paw, nodded in acceptance. _"Be careful and hurry." _He told his friend and alpha before turning and howling an order at the rest of the pack. Spirit Dreamer and Shadow Runner separated and jumped to the side as a bolt of lightning hit the area they had just been standing. The two pissed off males turned to look at the invaders, eyes seeming to give off an eerie glow.

--

Swimmer yelped in confusion as her mother lifted her up by the scruff of her neck. She saw out of the corner of her eyes that her siblings were also being picked up by other wolves, all of her siblings except… Spirit Dreamer! Where was her smallest brother? She didn't have time to think though as her mother began tearing through the forest, the rest of the pack around her. The only ones not with them were Shadow Runner and Spirit Dreamer, who had stayed to distract the humans. Sharp Fang was limping near the back of the pack, supported by Eagle Eye.

The pack didn't know how long they had been running, but they finally came to rest when they reached the shore of a great body of water with an island a ways off the shore. To the pack's right trees started, signaling the edge of the great fire country forest. At the edge of the forest was a dirt road that some of the older wolves recognized as a road for travelling humans. Mist covered the area, making it hard for some of the younger or older pack members to see. The forest was thick and the scents around them told that there was plenty of prey, though only in the form of deer, rabbits, birds and fish. Tree Climber, Swimmer, Scar, Flower, and Ice Eye looked at one another as the rest of the pack sniffed around; making sure that no other predators of their size lived in the area. So far they had found nothing. The only scent that set off their danger senses was the scent of humans that was over a month old. It was obvious to the pack that the area was uninhabited and the road was used rarely. There was plenty of prey, and the thick shrubbery and mist would make a good cover during hunts. The pack also wouldn't have to worry about running out of water during droughts since they were right beside a sea. Overall, it was a good place for their new territory.

The entire pack was immediately up and at attention when the familiar sound of Shadow Runner's howl reached their ears. _We are fine and on our way. We will be there soon. _The message was heard by all of the wolves, causing relief to spread through the pack. Moon Light raised her head and let out an answering howl. _Hurry up. _Minutes later Shadow Runner tore from the trees and skidded to a stop before the pack, Spirit Dreamer soon to follow. Spirit Dreamer had a look of confusion in his eyes, and it was obvious to those who knew him well that he was in deep thought, probably about what had happened before. A few of the wolves stared at Spirit Dreamer, mostly because of the fact that the injuries that he had sustained before were gone and that he didn't have as much as a bruise or scratch on him. It was strange, seeing as he and Shadow Runner had been outnumbered by the human pack, especially since they could see a few cuts littering Shadow Runner's body, though there was nothing serious. It didn't make sense that the more powerful of the two would be injured and the younger, weaker one would be unscathed.

"_Shadow Runner, what happened after you had us leave?" _Eagle Eye asked as Swimmer, Ice Eye, Tree Climber, Scar, and Flower surrounded their father and brother, nuzzling and licking them while whining softly. Spirit Dreamer's eyes lit up as Swimmer tackled him to the ground, engaging her brother in a fierce wrestling mach. _"Not much. A few attacks were exchanged until I got a lucky shot and bit one of the humans on the shoulder. It seems they didn't want to be killed so they hesitated, which was when Spirit and I fled. The humans chased us until we reached the edge of our old territory, when they gave up chase. The energy around Spirit Dreamer faded soon after, and here we are." _Shadow Runner replied as he watched his six pups with an amused expression; it had turned into an all-out wrestling war between the six.

"_Do you know what the energy was, alpha?" _Gatherer asked his alpha, turning to look at the slightly smaller wolf. _"Yokai. I would know that energy anywhere, my father could use it to an extent. How Spirit Dreamer can use it, I don't know." _Shadow Runner grumbled slightly as he spoke, his mind drifting towards his son's ability to use yokai. _'First the changes he went through after he was adopted… then the fox appearing in his dreams… now his ability to use yokai and the strange symbol on your stomach… Pup… what exactly are you?' _Shadow Runner thought to himself as he watched over his pups, knowing that the four things were connected in some way. It annoyed him that he didn't know what his son was when he knew everything else about him. He had a gut feeling that whatever it was it was important.

Shadow Runner was brought out of his musings by his mate as she sat down beside him. _"Relax, Shadow Runner. The pack is fine, the pups are fine, and we are fine. You have no reason to worry." _Moon Light whined as she saw the confused and worried look in Shadow Runner's eyes. _"I know…" _Shadow Runner grunted, lying down beside Moon Light. He relaxed as Moon Light began washing out a cut on his back with her tongue, letting his mind wander and peace overtake him. _'I will find out what you are exactly, pup… for all of our sakes.'_Shadow Runner thought before sleep claimed him, knowing firsthand how someone close to a yokai user could be affected by the demonic energy, having seen it happen to his uncle, who had died of yokai poisoning from being too close to Shadow Runner's father when he was using yokai. Shadow Runner didn't want that to happen to any of his pack.

Kyuubi sighed from within the seal. Seems like he would be teaching Naruto, or Spirit Dreamer, he kept telling himself, to control his demonic chakra. Great, now he had to figure out a way to reach the wolf alpha. Seems that messing with his container's DNA had a few side effects, namely the fact that he could draw on the Kyuubi's yokai when experiencing extreme emotions and the ability to unconsciously control said yokai as his own. This could either turn out very good or very bad…

Somehow Kyuubi knew that it would take a turn for the worse. He had horrible luck, after all...

--

Chapter end.

Reviews and constructive criticism loved!

Polls:

Akatsuki evil or misguided? Evil/3 Misguided/13 (I can basically see where this is going... yeah... sorry, your evil-ness is most likely shot, guys.)

Who replaces Naruto on team 7? Sai/11 Kiba/6 (They're neck and neck!)

Pairings, if any? Itanaru/6 Sasunaru/2 Kibanaru/1 NaruHina/12 NaruOc/3 (Itachi and Hinata are both in the lead, with Hinata beating the Uchiha by six!)


End file.
